The following criteria are offered for use in considering the usefulness of praise songs.

Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller2008

1. Jesus - “Is Jesus mentioned?”

Yes | No

If yes, is it in name or concept?

2. Clarity

Is the song clear? Does it use sentences (with subject, verb, object) or sentence fragments?

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Very clear Obscure

3. Mysticism (Subjectivity vs Objectivity)

Is the song about the things that God has done (objective), or about my own emotions and experiences (subjective)? Does the song repeat the same phrases over and over in an hypnotic mantra?10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Objective Subjective

4. Law and Gospel

Does the song proclaim the law in its sternness and the Gospel in its sweetness? (The Gospel is the promise of the forgiveness of all sins won for us through Jesus' death on the cross.) Are law and Gospel rightly divided (and not mixed up)? Is the law presented as something that we can do, or does it show us our sins? Is the Gospel conditional (based on my actions, decisions, acceptance)?